This is a 'frame grab' from the footage filmed for Sons & Daughters of Thunder during the historic Lane debate scenes. We will call this shot 'Harriet's awakening'.
Look at this ONE FRAME and what do you see? You see two actors, Thomas Alan Taylor and Jess Denney, who have spent extensive time shaping and breathing life into their characters, the historic abolitionists Theodore Weld and Harriet Beecher (Stowe).
But if you look more closely, you see the costumes that clothe them thanks to costume designer Emily Busha and the volunteers that assisted her, the hair and make-up by Farrah Kurtenbach Ketron and Lora Adams, the lighting by David Furness, the moment captured by director of photography Kevin Railsback (even the lights in Harriet's eyes), the historic words arranged to guide the story thanks to playwright Earlene Hawley, the challenging sound work captured by Chris Ryder; the assistant director Tyson Danner coordinating a large audience in which Taylor and Denney face at this moment. Consider the cast that make up that audience and the time they devoted to shaping their characters and dialogue; and the fact that that cast would not be there without the exceptional work of casting director and executive producer Kimberly Furness.
You don't see the production assistants Olivia Ketron and Melinda Carriker assisting in the background, the props collected by Sandy Freel, or the setting immersing the actors in the past thanks to the Jenny Lind Chapel and the community of Andover, Illinois.
You don't notice the funding that made it possible thanks to many generous supporters and our fiscal sponsor the Shell Rock Historical Society. You don't necessarily see the years of development by the director and producers (one of which is the dedicated Kent Hawley); the fundraising and researching; the pre-production, arranging and planning, scheduling, locating, and the list goes on...
This is just ONE FRAME. Consider the magnitude of the thing and how many people it takes to make a film a reality!
...and consider how very grateful we are to every single one of you.
Tammy & Kelly Rundle
Fourth Wall Films
Producers, Sons & Daughters of Thunder
Coming in 2018!
